Party Politburo member Truong Tan Sang stated this at a ceremony marking the 60^th founding anniversary of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (April 21, 1950) at the Opera House in Hanoi on April 20.

The participants observed a minute of silence for late President Ho Chi Minh - the founder of Vietnamese journalism, who was also an accomplished journalist in his own right--as well as the 400 fallen journalists who died during the struggles for national dependence.

Speaking on behalf of the party and the state, Mr. Sang, who is a permanent member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, highlighted the great contributions made by the VJA to the cause of revolution and renovation of the party and people of Vietnam over the past 60 years.

Vietnam has great potential for becoming an industrial country by 2020, but is still facing many challenges and difficulties, Mr. Sang said.

Therefore, he emphasised, Vietnamese journalists nowadays must continue to be in the vanguard of the national renovation process, encouraging the entire nation to build Vietnam into a strong, prosperous country where democracy and social equality are upheld.

The Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association, Dinh The Huynh, said the association has, since its inception, always striven to fulfil its mission as a socio-political and vocational organisation for Vietnamese journalists.

It has worked continuously for the cause of revolutionary journalism, national liberation, construction and defence. Vietnamese journalists play an important role in facilitating communications between the Party and the people, closing the gap between Vietnam and the world and promoting the country’s image overseas.

Since being set up with only 300 members, the association membership has grown to 17,000, including many freelance reporters nationwide.

Vietnam currently has more than 700 print newspapers, one state news agency, two central and 63 provincial radio and television stations. Online newspapers have also grown rapidly.